Jet propelled boat



March 12, 1968 T. E. SWEET 3,372,667

JET PROPELLED BOAT Filed Jan. 5, 1967 EMM f3/59 i f4 /l' United States Patent O 3,372,667 JET PROPELLED BOAT Theodore E. Sweet, 18026 Benbow, Covina, Calif. 91722 Filed Jan. 5, 1967, Ser. No. 607,436 4 Claims. (Cl. 11S-12) The invention is primarily directed to a small boat which can be used in swimming pools or the like having an attachment for connection to a garden hose by means of which the water pressure of the `domestic water supply can be used to propel the boat about the swimming pool; however, obviously on a reduced scale the invention is equally applicable to a reduced scale version which could be used by children as a toy in the bathtub.

-It is the primary purpose of this invention to provide a floatable vehicle such as a boat to which can be attached a device which can receive power from a water hose and which will propel the boat or vehicle around under the force of the jet of water issuing from the hose.

It is another object of this invention to provide an attachment for such a vehicle in which the direction of the propulsion as well as the force can be controlled so as to steer and regulate the speed of the vehicle and as stated above, while it has as its primary use in connection with boats to be used in a swimming pool in which the device will be attached to a garden hose, a reduced version of the device may be provided for use in a bathtub in which a flexible tubing is attached to the tub faucet and from the faucet in the tub to the device of this invention.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the annexed specification in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view with parts broken away and partly in section of the rear end of a boat equipped with the device embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the control mechanism in the forward and reverse positions; and

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings the numeral indicates a vehicle such as a boat adapted to oat upon a body of water 11. Aflixed to the rear wall 12 as by clamps 13 is a pipe or tube 14. Adjacent the lower end of the pipe or tu-be 14 there is connected as by studs 15 a valve body 16. The valve -body 16 includes a valve member having a vertical bore 17 and longitudinal ports 18 and 19. The valve body 16 is provided with a female hose thread 20 on one side and a male hose thread 21 on the other side to which may be attached a spray nozzle 22 of the conventional type for a graden spray nozzle. A sleeve 23 is rotatably mounted within the tube 14 and at its upper end is formed with an elbow 24 in which is atiixed a handle or steering lever 25. The sleeve 23 has la head 26 having a bore 27 to receive a valve stem 28, The valve stem 28 is retained in a cap 29 by a cotter key 30. A lever 31 is provided and has a threaded portion 32 passing through a bore in the cap 29 and a bore in the valve stern 28 and is secured to the cap 29 by nuts 33 and 34. The valve stem 28 terminates in a plug 35 having a bore or valve passage 36 therein.

A conventional garden hose 40 may 'be attached to the valve body 16 by the female -threads 20 mating with the male threads on the garden hose as shown in FIGURE 1 or in the event the device is made upon a smaller scale as a bathtub toy, a tube such as the hose 40 may be 3,372,667 Patented Mar. 12, 1968 affixed to the Water tap associated with the bathtub and suitably attached to the inlet end of the valve body 1K6. As indicated, the studs 15 attach the sleeve 23 to the valve body 16. When it is desired to use the device of -this invention, it is placed in the water, the hose 40 attached and the water turned on at the hap. Thereafter if it is a full size embodiment such as a boat in a swimming pool, a person may enter the |boat, turn the lever or throttle 31 lto an open or partially open position to admita jet of water to pass through the nozzle 22 and thus drive the boat 10. The speed of the vboat can be controlled -by manipulating the lever 31. In-asmuch as the sleeve 23 is mounted for rotation in the tube 14 the ent-ire sleeve `23, the valve body 16 and the associated parts such as a nozzle 22 may be turned by use of the handle or steering lever 25 as indicated in FIGURE 3. The handle or steering lever 25 may be manipulated from a full forward to a full reverse or backwards position or to any intermediate position so as to cause the boat or vehicle -t-o take a circular course. 1Obviously when the device is used for a bathtub toy the control of the handle 25 and the lever 31 will be from the outside of the vehicle. It will thus be apparent by means of the present invention there is provided a simple device which can be` attached to a boat or other iloatable vehicle either for use in a swimming pool or other limited areas or a bathtub and propelled under the force -of the jet of water provided by the garden hose or tube 40. It will also be appreciated that the device is fully steerable and `reversible .and by means of the hand throttle can Ibe regulated from a full force drive to a position in which the driving force is entirely shut off i.e. to a stop position.

While there has been described what is at present considered a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention and it is intended to cover herein all such changes and modications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for use with a floating vehicle such as a boat or the like comprising: a tubular member for atp tachment to said vehicle; ya sleeve rotatably mounted in said tubular member; an elongated horizontally extending body carried :by said sleeve member at its lower end; means for attaching a hose to one end of said body and a jet nozzle ,at the other end of said body; and a handle attached to said sleeve for controlling the direction in which said nozzle is pointed.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said body includes a valve member having an inlet port and an outlet port and said sleeve houses a valve stem, said valve stem having a valve plug at its lower end and a control lever at its upper end.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which said sleeve may be positioned so as to direct said nozzle in any direction so las to turn said boat as desired, either in forward or reverse direction.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which said body includes a valve member having an inlet port and an outlet port and said sleeve houses a valve stem, said valve stem having 'a valve plug at its lower end and a control lever at its upper end.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,142,285 7/1964 Sorrentino et al 115-12 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

